Friday, December 30, 2016

Annual Report 2016: Town Clerk

"I respectfully submit my 1st annual report as Town Clerk of Franklin for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2016.

With Franklin’s Town Clerk of 31 years retiring this year, I am honored and proud that the Office of the Town Clerk has been entrusted to me by the citizens of Franklin. My first official duty as Town Clerk was inspiring. I had the honor of swearing-in the aforementioned Town Clerk, Debbie Pellegri as a newly elected member of Franklin’s Town Council.

Equally gratifying, I had the privileged of swearing in Franklin’s new Chief of Police Thomas J. Lynch and Deputy Chief James A. Mills.

Since being elected in November, the following changes have been implemented. We now accept credit or debit card payment in the office for your
convenience. On our website (www.franklin.ma.us) the public may request certified copies of Birth, Marriage and Death Certificates, renew Business Certificates and dog licenses through Unipay.

The Town Clerk’s Office Staff has changed, we are dedicated to provide friendly ,professional service to all citizens. I am extremely proud of how well my staff has performed and responded to the challenges in such a short period of time. Please stop by and say hello!

Presiding over the State Primary after 3 months in office was challenging and exciting. I would like to thank all those that provided support. Especially Debbie Pellegri, Lois D’Amico, and Mona Ghiringhelli.

Welcome to our New Residents
We continue with our welcome letters to all new residents. Along with a census form, we also send voter registration applications at this time to encourage voter participation: We invite all new residents to stop by the Clerk’s office… it’s a nice way to meet their Town officials and be introduced to the Municipal Building and the many services that are offered here in Town. If you’d like voter Registration form sent to you, just call 508-520-4900 or email (tburr@franklin.ma.us) you may also register on line at (www.registertovotema.com).

Population
The total population for FY 2016 Census is now 33,926.

The following are some past population figures that have been reported over the past years. This shows the rate of growth that Franklin has encountered over the past 31 years.

Year Population Year Population Year Population (As of January)


Year
Population
1981
17,304
1982
17,333
1983
17,187
1984
17,302
1985
17,500
1986
19,253
1987
20,105
1988
21,009
1989
22,045
1990
22,674
1991
23,982
1992
24,756
1993
24,963
1994
25,213
1995
26,721
1996
27,325
1997
28,594
1998
28,928
1999
29,306
2000
29,738
2001
29,897
2002
30,198
2003
30,522
2004
30,944
2005
31,274
2006
31,629
2007
32,003
2008
32,223
2009
32,878
2010
32,862
2011
32,810
2012
33,092
2013
33,186
2014
33,490
2015
33,590
2016
33,761


The population of Franklin seems to always go up even though the economy has had its ups and downs. There were more houses vacant and now they are beginning to become occupied. The new house market is increasing showing the residents are looking for new, along with affordable/deals on older homes. The Towns growth of senior/assisted living residents has also increased our population.

I have continued to update our records on a daily basis, adding new residents as soon as we have taken off the previous residents in that household. Our office works to record those moving into vacant properties throughout the year.

Financial Report
Money collected during FY16:

Collected/Marriage Intentions $2,775.00
Certified Copies$13,662.00
Business Certificates $5,640.00
Books $1,125.00
Dog Licenses $48,599.00
Non-Criminal Citations/Fines $3,715.00
Miscellaneous Receipts $7,085.00
Transfer stickers$3,790.00
Total Collected$86,391.00

Businesses
A total of 276 businesses were opened or renewed in Franklin during 2015. We wish them the best of luck. All non-incorporate/DBA businesses, according to MGL, shall register with the Town Clerk prior to commencing business. This certificate is valid for four years at a charge of $40.00. Banks will send their customers to us before allowing them to open a business account. This helps us to keep our records updated. We follow up with telephone calls as a reminder!

Underground Storage Tanks/Hazardous Material
Underground storage of gasoline permits are the same as last year with a total of 23 and 13 hazardous material permits. No new certificates have been filed with this office by the Fire Department during 2015. 

Planning /Appeal Board Applications
All applications and decisions are permanent record and may be researched at any time through the Town Clerk’s office. Elsewhere in this report you will find our index of applicants/decisions during the year 2015.

Code of Franklin
The Town of Franklin Code Book is maintained and updated through this office, both in hard copy, computer and on the web at www.franklin.ma.us. This book contains all the rules, regulations, by-laws and acts of the Town. The code has been helpful, not only to department managers and councilors, but also to attorneys, engineers and contractors since it contains all information relating to their daily work.

Town Clerk Directory
Our Directory of Town, State and County Officials booklet is available here in the Clerk’s office. This booklet has been a very useful tool to employers, committees, managers and residents. Other publications available in the Clerk’s office are Subdivision and Zoning Regulations and Maps, Resident Listing Books.

Record Retention Schedule
I have continued to keep our records in the best possible order as mandated through the Secretary of State’s office. All of our books are bound, microfilmed and stored in the Town Clerk’s vault each year. This is the history of Franklin and its’ residents and I take pride in maintaining a filing system that continues the safety of each volume.

Vital Records
Certified records of birth, deaths and marriage records are available through the Clerk’s office, They are copied on safety paper at a charge of $6.00 each. As a note, when you need a copy of your birth record, remember that it is always filed in the town where your mother was living at the time of your birth, the hospital community and the Office of Vital Records in Boston, MA. You can now order online on the town clerks web page through Unipay.

Dog Licensing
We have over 3,843 dogs in Franklin. Dogs are licensed mainly to be sure that they are up to date on their rabies vaccinations. Dogs should be licensed at 3 months and older. Licenses are $15.00 (altered) $20.00 (non altered) due by March 31st of each year with a late fine of $25.00 added to the tag fee after July 1st. Residents with (4) or more dogs need to acquire a kennel license through ZBA. 

Conclusion 
I’m sure you will agree that our office is certainly a very busy one! We find so often that people will call our office first for information when needing assistance and we always welcome their calls and will try to set them in the right direction. It’s nice to know that people feel comfortable calling or visiting the Clerk’s office for assistance. 

I would like to thank my staff, Nancy Danello, Assistant Town Clerk; Michelle Marek, Assistant Election Administrator; and Susan Merullo, Administrative Assistant for their dedication and commitment. I would also like to thank the department managers and their staff for their support throughout the past year. "

Respectfully submitted, 

Teresa M. Burr 
Town Clerk / Election Administrator 
Notary Public / Justice of the Peace



Town Clerk Teresa Burr swearing two new police officers in October 2016
Town Clerk Teresa Burr swearing two new police officers in October 2016



Download and read the full Annual Report for the Town of Franklin FY 2016


Prior year annual reports can be found
http://www.franklinma.gov/administrator/pages/annual-reports


No comments:

Post a Comment